Emily Pronin

Emily Pronin is an American psychologist who specializes in human self-perception and decision making. She is a professor of Psychology and Public affair at Princeton University. She created and coined the terms Bias blind spot and Introspection illusion.

Biography She was born in New York City to Irwin Pronin, a regulatory lawyer and Vivian Pronin an independent geriatric care manager.

Research In 2002, Pronin and her colleagues initially defined the Bias blind spot in 2002, which is the observation that people feel they are less biassed in their judgements and conduct than the overall population, i.e., they are "blind" to their own cognitive biases. While that discovery inspired a slew of subsequent studies, no one has attempted to exactly reproduce the original tests. In 2002, Pronin's research introduced "Naive Realism," highlighting how people tend to believe they have a more objective view of others while underestimating that others might see them more clearly. Pronin coined the term "introspection illusion" to describe the mistaken belief in own unbiased self-perception, she believes humans tend to think of themselves as more virtuous than they might be, while readily recognizing the faults in others.

In her research on free will Pronin explores how people perceive themselves versus others, her research shows that individuals often see their own judgments as rational and influenced by free will, while viewing others as predictable and less guided by free will.

Selected publications